A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Chimney Rock State Park Nature Programs

October 4 - 5, 2014 Grady's Wildlife of WNC at Chimney Rock State Park Come meet some of Grady the Groundhog's live woodland friends and learn about their natural habitats. Or marvel at our Birds of Prey, including a Red-tailed Hawk and Great Horned Owl.

The family-friendly Grady’s Wildlife of WNC programs vary and are offered at 2 PM at the Outdoor Classroom on the Meadows. Best of all, the programs are included with your Park admission. All you need to bring are your kids and their curiosity about the natural world.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

2014 Colorfest Ats and Crafts Fair Includes Exceptional Live Music

October 4, 2014 in downtown Dillsboro NC - The 6th Annual ColorFest, Dillsboro Fine Arts and Crafts Fair will include local entertainers live on stage. Those who love musicians who gather around and play because it’s in their blood, this program is for you. Come prepared to hear the guitar, the banjo, the mandolin, and more, plus clogging at it’s best.

There will be six full hours of entertainment, beginning at 10 AM. From 10 AM - 11 AM, hear the toe-tappin' blues music of Sugar Barnes and Dave McGill. From 11 AM - 12 noon the J. Creek Cloggers will dance their hearts out. From 12 PM - 1 PM welcome Carolina Dust, a duo who play a variety of instruments with harmony vocals. From 1 PM -2 PM Ron Smith will entertain with guitar and banjo, playing a variety of music styles. Join the Productive Paranoia group from 2 PM -3 PM, a youthful band who excel in bluegrass and country. Then, from 3 PM -4 PM the legendary Henry Queen will entertain, singing and playing old time mountain music. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy a colorful autumn in Dillsboro during a festival filled with color - the ColorFest.

ColorFest, Art and Taste of Appalachia Autumn's colors and flavors take center stage during this popular annual festival. This arts and food event fills the sidewalks of Dillsboro with a variety of mountain artisans demonstrating their skills, plus food vendors serving up a taste of the North Carolina mountains. Local musicians and street entertainers add music to festivities, while restaurants and shops are open to serve the crowds throughout the day. 10 AM - 4 PM

Monday, September 22, 2014

Tweetsie Railroad Halloween Ghost Train Begins this Weekend

September 26 - November 1, 2014 Friday and Saturday evenings Ghost Train Halloween Festival at Tweetsie Railroad Advanced ticket purchase is recommended for this very popular event. The ghastly special events include Ghost Train Rides Exciting Haunted House, Halloween Shows, 3-D Maze, Black Hole™, Trick-or-treating and the Freak Forest.

Find local lodging and information on the Blowing Rock Visitor Guide, Linville Visitor Guide and Banner Elk Visitor Guide.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Flock to the Rock at Chimney Rock Park State Park

September 20 - 21, 2014 6th Annual Flock to the Rock at Chimney Rock State Park (No additional cost with paid Park admission but “Early Bird” Watch is extra) The region’s premier fall migration birding event held at Chimney Rock, a birder’s paradise and official site on the NC Birding Trail.

The event features live Birds of Prey programs with a Red-tailed Hawk and Great Horned Owl, this weekend includes bird walks guided by local experts, workshops ranging from bird photography to hummingbirds and family nature walks. Kids can get in on the fun too, dissecting owl pellets to see what these birds of prey eat.

Find links for lodging, dining and attractions on the Chimney Rock NC Visitor Guide.

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 469 miles long is the nation's longest scenic rural parkway. Now 70 years old it is administered by the National Park Service and host to approximately 20 million visits annually. It connects the Shenandoah Valley National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Along the route are opportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hiking and simply enjoying breathtaking views from easily accessible overlooks and picnic areas. For additional information visit :The Blueridge Parkway Association

The River Arts District is open year around with the opportunity to meet artists in their studios. Schedules are available online. This unique area along the French Broad River is home to more than 165 artists with working studios located in 18 turn-of-the-century industrial buildings. The artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic hidden inside the time-worn factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.

Chimney Rock Park is named for a 500 million-year-old giant granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. Visitors are awed by the breathtaking view that spreads 1200 vertical feet beneath them and 75 miles across the Carolinas. The now state owned park encompasses 1,000 acres offers the best of the mountains in one place with spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more. Chimney Rock NC

The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

Tsali Recreation Area is an outdoors lover's paradise. Probably the most popular features of Tsali Recreation Area are the 39 miles of trails suited for mountain bikers and horse-back riders, as well as hikers. The 4-loop system offers a variety of landscapes. You can climb 1-foot wide rugged paths or travel flat, well-beaten roads. The four trails--Right, Left, Mouse Branch, and Thompson Loops--meander through mixed pine and hardwoods on a peninsula stretching into Fontana Lake. Near Bryson City NC and Robbinsville NC.